


Prologue:  Mr. Yang's Wild Ride

by BritHistorian



Series: Capes and K-pop [1]
Category: K-pop, X-Men - All Media Types, YG Entertainment | YG Family
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Beginnings, Gen, Psionics, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 09:00:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11986542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BritHistorian/pseuds/BritHistorian
Summary: How Yang Hyun-suk came to start YG records, the role the Agency for National Security Planning (Korean secret police) played in that, and how much more than just a record label YG is.





	Prologue:  Mr. Yang's Wild Ride

1995

Yang Hyun-suk had just stepped out of his hotel when he was confronted by 2 men in dark suits.

"Yang Hyun-suk. We're going to need you to come with us," the younger one said, flashing a badge. Yang stopped and let them lead him to a government car that was parked in front of the hotel. They quickly but thoroughly frisked him, then handcuffed him and put him in the back seat. Then they climbed in the front, started the car, and drove off.

When they were a couple of blocks away from the hotel, the older man turned back to look at Yang while the younger one drove. "Your handcuffs should be loose enough for you to slip out of. It was just necessary to present a certain image - it wouldn't have been good for you to have been seen leaving with us voluntarily. I'm Mr. Pak." He nodded toward the younger man. "This is my partner, Mr. Pak."

Yang tried shifting his hands. Sure enough, he was able to pull them right out of the handcuffs. "But apparently it was necessary for me to leave with you. Am I under arrest?"

The older Mr. Pak laughed. "Oh, no. The Agency For National Security Planning doesn't arrest people. It brings them in to talk to them sometimes, but it doesn't arrest them."

"And what" Yang asked carefully "does the Agency For National Security Planning want to talk to me about?" Yang had heard the same rumors as everyone else, that Angibu (the agency's nickname) was enmeshed in every part of Korean life, that they knew everything that was going on. Yang had thought those rumors were an exaggeration, up until the time he'd gotten into this car.

Mr. Pak turned around to face the front of the car again. "I really couldn't say. Mr. Kwon told us to go get you. The why of the matter is well above my pay grade."

Yang leaned back and took a deep breath. "Kwon Young-hae sent for me?"

The younger Mr. Pak nodded, but neither of them said anything else for the rest of the drive. Yang shuddered and tried to stay calm. He'd never heard of a K-pop star being summoned by the director of Korea's secret police, and he couldn't imagine that anything good would come of it.

* * * * *

Half an hour later, after being led down a series of hallways that could have been any government office building and undergoing a security search that he was sure he'd have nightmares about for months, Yang found himself in a nondescript office with two elderly men: A Korean man with white hair and glasses and a white man who has totally bald and sitting in a wheelchair. Once the introductions had been made and tea had been served, Yang was left alone with Kwon Young-Hae and Charles Xavier, who was apparently an American professor of some sort.

"I'll get right to the point." Kwon said. "I want you to come work for ANSP."

Yang didn't know what to make of this. "I think you've got the wrong Yang Hyun-Suk, Mr. Kwon. I'm no spy. I'm a singer."

Kwon laughed. "I know exactly who you are. I'm quite fond of your song 'Come Back Home.'" Kwon began to hum the song, only half in tune, at best. "At any rate, I've discussed the matter with Professor Xavier here and we agree that you've got a special skill that makes you uniquely suited for this job."

The American spoke up for the first time. "Mr. Yang, I'd like to make a short demonstration, after which I believe this will make much more sense. Close your eyes."

Yang closed his eyes.

"Now, keeping your eyes closed, look at me and tell me how many fingers I'm holding up."

"This is stupid," Yang thought. "How can I get away from these crazy people? There's no one I could tell about this - no one would believe me." But he decided to humor the old man. Keeping his eyes closed, he turned his head toward where Professor Xavier had been sitting. Much to his surprise, he saw a faint red outline of the man, apparently floating in mid-air because because Yang couldn't see his wheelchair. As he continued to look, the image became more distinct, and Yang was able to see that the man's hands were sitting in his lap. "You're not holding up any fingers," he said. "You kept your hands in your lap."

"Very good. And how many fingers am I holding up now, and on which hand?"

Yang saw the red image inside his eyes move its arms, holding up 1 finger on the left hand and 3 on the right. He again gave the right answer.

"Very good. You may open your eyes now." Yang did, and saw that he had been correct. "With time, you'll become more attuned to your ability and be able to recognize mutants with your eyes closed. Not only that, but you'll be able to recognize alien-human hybrids, altered humans, androids, gods, demigods, and even garden variety supergeniuses."

Yang looked from one man's face to the other, unsure of what was being asked of him. He was able to accept that he had a minor sort of superpower - the amount of ego necessary to become a pop star made that fairly easy to accept - but he wasn't sure what Angibu would expect him to do with this power. Yang looked at Kwon. "Even if my power is everything that the professor says it is, what do you want from me? Do you expect me to give up my career to become a mutant-finder for Angibu?"

Kwon chuckled. "Not at all. In fact, we want to help you in your career. Our sources say that you're thinking of starting a record company. The Agency wishes to invest in this enterprise and make certain that you succeed."

Yang is sure there's some connection between his power and his dream of opening a record company, but he's not able to see it. He looks up at Kwon about to ask, when Kwon relieves him of the need to.

"In America, Professor Xavier runs a school that to all appearances is a boarding school for gifted youngsters but is actually a school where he trains mutants in how to control their powers and use them for good. The nature of the Korean educational system prevents us from using a similar system here, so the Agency started looking for alternatives. A record label provides the perfect opportunity: People expect pop music trainees to be taken to live at their label's dormitories and to train at the label's facilities rather than going to their usual school. At the auditions you will use your powers to identify the 'special' youngsters and sign them to your label. You will teach them singing and dancing, and they will actually produce music - concert tours and publicity jaunts are a good cover for travel - but you will also teach them how to use their powers-"

"I can't do that! I don't know anything about superpowers!"

"Nonsense!" Professor Xavier's deep voice cut off any further protests Yang may have been about to make. "When I trained my first X-men, I was entirely self-taught on the nature of mutant powers, I had minimal resources, I was hunted by my government, but still I was able to find and teach mutants, to acquire the resources I lacked, and to build my school. You're starting out with the backing and investment of your government, with the benefit of everything we've leared about superpowers in the past 30 years, and with a hotline to call me should you need it."

Kwon stood up and placed his hand on Yang's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do fine with this, but it's a lot to take in all at once. Go back to your hotel, go back to your life, and think about it for a while before you accept our offer."

Yang noticed that the option of saying no had just been quietly removed. You just didn't tell the head of Angibu no when he asked you do to do something.

Kwon continued. "The Agency has already issued a statement explaining why you were 'brought in for questioning' today. I'll have my secretary give you a copy on the way out. When the press asks you about it, all you have to do is keep repeating 'I'm not at liberty to say anything more. Please refer to the government's statement.' until they get tired of asking.

As he left Kwon's office, Yang's stomach was tied in knots and his mind was zipping around like a hyperactive hummingbird. In the space of less than an hour he had learned that he had a superpower, that Angibu was going to help him start his record label, and that that label was going to be a cover for a school for superheroes, that he was expected to run. It was going to be a wild ride.

**Author's Note:**

> If you think this sounds like the setup for something bigger, you're entirely right. I'm planning a series of stories wherein K-pop stars are also superheroes, centered around YG Entertainment (and whatever bands I decide to move to YG Entertainment for story purposes). Bands I have in mind so far are Bigbang, Blackpink, Pristin, and K.A.R.D. If you want me to include your favorite band, leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do.
> 
> The Agency for National Security Planning (Angibu) actually existed. In 1999 it changed it's name to National Intelligence Service, which still exists. Kwon Young-Hae actually was the head of the ASNP in 1995. You can learn more about him online if you want.
> 
> Concerning Mr. Pak and Mr. Pak: Pak (and its many variant spellings) is an exceedingly common family name in Korea. This is roughly equivalent to having a pair of characters in an English-speaking country named Mr. Jones and Mr. Jones. In my mind they're modelled on Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones's characters in _Men In Black_ , only both Korean. I wouldn't be surprised if we see them again.


End file.
